Monday, February 13, 2012

My poster boy

He's mine, my little poster boy. He makes first contact with my pops.

Ok... more like my OLPT - Official Little Pop Tester.


OLPT's private moment with his pop

He was introduced to my first ever cupcake pops when he went to his aunt's house for the family's weekly dinner; his aunt is a good friend of mine. When he saw them, he picked one up, looked hard and asked," What's that?"

My first attempts weren't the prettiest. I was foolish enough to start with cupcake pops... they looked so adorable in the book, I dove right in.

What was I thinking??
I wasn't - apparently.

I had to get the cake baked, and then frost-mixed. It spent some time chilling in the fridge before I could shape them into tiny cupcakes. Of course, my cake was too moist - it was my first. And it was a pain in the ass to shape cake that wouldn't hold, and will that soggy mess to stay on the stick.


Virgin pops - they tasted better than they looked, honest!

To add to the fun, it was a 2-step shaping process. Which meant extra handling of the cake, which led to the inevitable - my cake got even softer.

All too much for a first timer.

I felt exactly as I did when I climbed Mount Rinjani in Lombok, all 3000m of it - madly exhausted, half crazed.

But my OLPT was such a dear, he lapped it up.
And even asked for seconds.

I experiment with designs on weekends, there're just so many ways you could work a pop.
Swirls, dips, sprinkles, buttons, confetti, piping, tri-coating, pearl dusted ... endless.



 













 And every Sunday, OLPT looks forward to the pops.

He's never afraid to try, he never rejects. Sometimes he'll say 'it's yummy!' (his fave phrase for pops). Other times when the designs are bad, even he has to ask again," What's that?"

Kids never lie (not yet at this age, at least) - and that's the best part about my OLPT.

It's his birthday next week, I'm psyched to be doing his birthday pops!



Thursday, February 9, 2012

Happy Dayz


The happy trio, enjoying the Happy Day

HAPPY DAYZ are the best days. 
Happy Daze too.. but that's another post altogether.

They bring sunshine, chase the blues away, they're designed for glee (yes the show too.. Rachel looks permanantly buzzed)!



And that was how I conceptualised this happy pop for a friend who wanted to give her co-workers a little something to remember her by. She was transferring to an affiliated company, so she wasn't leaving them entirely. And I thought the happy days they spent in corporate hell-and-highwater was the perfect going-away theme. 

Hot pink on green worked beautifully - she's fun, spunky and full of life. The pearly dragees added a touch of class.

Worked in my friend's initial 'S'


That's how I usually design my pops. 

I try to get a little glimpse of the people, what they like, why they're choosing to give pops. Then I build a connection to their story, and the designs pretty much work themselves out from there.


Wednesday, February 1, 2012

How to share a good pineapple tart

The phone buzzed: "What are you up to tonight? I'm bored." Message from my Bestie.

It was 11pm.

I'd just stepped in from another giddy, heady night of... wait for it... not clubbing, but cake pop supply shopping LOL. That's how psyched I get about pops.

I'd acquired 10 new pots in various shapes for pop arrangements, loads of ribbons, treat bags, pretty papers - couldn't wait to check them out properly at home. It'd been a fruitful shopping day.

But Bestie had just come back from a work trip to London, and I wanted to catch up with her. People before things, my motto.

I couldn't resist squeezing in a bit of baking while Bestie took a shower and drove over. I had planned to bake some cake to experiment on some new designs tomorrow, and I went to work mixing up a batch of batter, crossing my fingers I would have time to stick it in the oven before she arrived.

Chocolate cake balls
Almost made it!

I was in the final stages of batter scooping when Bestie ding donged. We popped the cake in, chatted about London, work, friends while I attempted to tame the baking mess in the kitchen into something discernible.

While the cake baked, we settled down to Game of Thrones, the HBO series we were both hooked on.

There was the intermittant "Is he the good guy??" and "Why did the King kill her??" that peppered the 3 episodes we watched together, nestled on my brown couch, sipping fizzy Ribena.

Soda water - the secret to kickass Ribena!
The hours flew past and many hay bee hiams, pineapple tarts and Bloody Mary crisps later, the night caught up and it was time for Bestie to head home.

We didn't do much really. But we enjoyed the time together. Just like how it was when we were staying in the university hostel as roommates.

We did strange things.
I nibbled on the crusts of pineapple tarts which I loved, and she would eat all the pineapple centers.


We make a good pair.

Take the time to hang out with the people in your life, devote some love.

Make them smile... make their day dance ;)